Searching for White-bellied Cinclodes (Cinclodes palliatus)

(From a journal entry)

Huamanrazapampa
30 km SW of Huancavelica, Peru
4650 m
12 July 2007

We spread out over the valley floor to identify and count the handful of bird species that use high Andean peatlands. We hope to find the White-bellied Cinclodes (Cinclodes palliatus), one of the world's rarest birds, which is regularly found a mere one-hundred kilometers to the north. The grim population estimate of 200 motivated us to find additional populations, but so far, no luck. Phred, a recent college graduate enjoying his blissful new life as a bird bum, heads straight for a massive alpaca herd and probably has a chat with the shepherd about where he's come from, where he's going, and what he's doing - the usual small talk. Jano, our Peruvian team member and also a recent college graduate working technician jobs while he figures out the next life stage, scouts ahead to find a campsite. I take notes on my survey route while observing another rare peatland specialist, the Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. This regal shorebird regularly eludes the hardcore birding tourists that ascend painfully fast into the high Andes to see it.








We work our way down the valley toward the 4,800-meter pass that is our route back to Huancavelica. Asking a family for directions, we are invited to stay the night. An unusual dry-season snowstorm helps us make up our minds; we'll be guests tonight. The elderly host speaks Quechua; we speak Spanish and English. Luckily her grandson Juan Carlos, speaks Spanish and Quechua. He is a serious young man with more responsibilities than some of my friends. His family has raised alpaca and sheep in this valley for more than fifty years.

I ask the family about the glacier-fed wetlands in the valley, which provide the forage for their herd. They tell me the valley is drier since the glacier receded to a few slivers. I drift off from the conversation and wonder how this might affect the bird community associated with the wetlands during the next few decades and the millions of coastal desert-dwelling humans that depend on the glacial runoff for drinking water.

We sit in the hut low to the ground to avoid the dung-pellet smoke and sip tea made from a local herb. We eat a huge plate of potatoes of three varieties that are rich and flavorful, a welcomed change from the usual pasta dishes we prepare when backpacking. Snowfall covers the ground as sheep pass in front of the doorway on their way to the corral. As night falls, every corner of the dirt floor is covered with sheep and alpaca skins where we unfurl our sleeping bags for a toasty nights sleep. What a difference it makes to have a shelter of rocks warmed all day by the tropical sun and the kitchen fire.

The next morning, Juan Carlos shows us his short cut to Huancavelica.






Photos: Valley(Jano Nunez), White-bellied Cinclodes (Gibbons), Diademed Sandpiper-Plover(Harvey Van Diek), Group shot (Jano Nunez)

Planning the Next Field Season

Welcome to my blog. This is a place to keep family, friends, and colleagues up to date on how my project is coming along.

I've completed two field seasons studying the bird community that uses high Andean peat bogs (4,000 m -5,000 m) found in central and southern Peru.

I had a pilot season in June and July of 2007 which was cut short due to a little hiccup in Pisco. If you find yourself using public transportation in Peru, make sure the taxis are really taxis. Otherwise, you might find yourself tied up barefoot in a field relinquished of all your heavy field gear. With help from a foundation, I replaced all the gear and was back in the field by February.

The second field season was a great success with loads of data, specimens, a few recordings, and photography. I've been processing data, finishing up course work, and looking forward to getting back to the bogs to get the last set of data for my dissertation. So now you're all caught up.

The photos are Andean Goose (Chloephaga andina), Gray-breasted Seedsnipe (Thinocorus orbygnianus), and White-bellied Cinclodes (Cinclodes palliatus).

Time is getting short and plans are shaping up for the next field season. The goals are to do a complete wet season run and get everything set up for an abbreviated season in June and July.

It's looking good for some support through a grant to continue LSU's exploration of Peru. Hopefully, everyone can find a schedule that works.

Here's the plan:

January 20 - Fly to Lima, Peru
I found out today that Continental has a Saver classification for redeeming frequent flyer miles. It's HALF the miles if you fly on a Saver date. So with my current miles, I can travel to Peru twice rather than once. That's great news as it is an $800 flight and always a good chunk of the budget.

January 23 - Feb 3 Get to Tacna or Puno and buy a Toyota Hiace fourth generation (1989-2004) four-wheel drive van. We'll set it up to be the ultimate expedition vehicle: giant luggage rack which can double as a tent platform, ladder, tuned to 3,000 m elevation, ...maybe even some official looking graphic to raise eyebrows with federales. The photo below is a Hiace gen 4 set up as a shared taxi.

Feb 4 - Once the van is all systems go, an expedition team will visit all study sites, add grassland contrast transects, and scout new target areas determined from environmental modeling.

April 20 - Return to Baton Rouge to prepare for generals and process data.

Next steps: renew my passport and find two or three qualified technicians willing to work for experience and suffering.

Addendum: I had a question about the plants in the photos. The peat bogs have indicator species such as Distichia muscoides and Oxychloe andina. These are the cushion bog plants that make up the bulk of the peat and define the habitat. There are all sorts of other small flowering plants and Ichu grasses as well. I'll blog on these plants another day.